Sustainable Citizenship. Opportunities and Barriers for Citizen Involvement in Sustainable Development

Project leader

Funding source

Swedish Research Council - Vetenskapsrådet (VR)

Project Details

Start date: 01/01/2008

End date: 31/01/2010

Funding: 4254000SEK

Description

There is growing agreement that consumer practices are important for sustainable development (SD) and that consumption is an arena for the "ethical problematization" of how we assume responsibility over our and others´ lives. This project uses on-going research on “sustainable citizenship” to study individuals’ understanding of the relationship between private consumption and SD. Previous SD research either has not focused on the individual level or not on all three SD pillars. The project studies the barriers and opportunities for sustainable action. It asks if Swedes have the necessary prerequisites to become sustainable consumers, if they think about the consequences of their consumption for SD, what kind of judgment governs their consuming practices. Data is gathered in a representative survey and four case studies (toys, fashion, food, use of shopping malls). The project will contribute sought-after knowledge on the barriers to more sustainable consumer practice and the mechanisms that can trigger better practices. Findings will include information on citizen knowledge on SD, their attitudes and values about their own responsibility for SD, whether they perceive sustainability dilemmas in their consumer practices and if they actually make SD trade-offs. Research results are also important for theory development in the international on-going research field of sustainable citizenship.